Controllable pitch propeller



1950 B. N. WILLIS ET AL 2,527,112

CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER Filed Feb. 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventors Beuford N. WI'I/is Henry E. Will/s Fig.8.

d 1950 B. N. WILLIS EIAL 2,527,112

CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER Filed Feb. 24, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2.

r as I34 I36 I l RETURN LINE FROM PISTON TO PISTON FROM PUMP F g RETURN LINE TO PISTON 20 //8 Ill /6 /04 FROM PUMP I h I l //6 62 3 54 36 60 Inventors 62 52 Beuford /v. Willis 1 l 56 Henry E. Will/s l Patented Oct. 24, 1950 CONTROLLABLE PITCH PROPELLER Beuford N. Willis, J onesboi-o, 6a., and Henry E.

Willis, Quantico,;Va.

App'lic'ation' February 24, 1948, serial No. 10,374

This invention relates to novel and useful improvements in controllable pitch propellers for use in association with sea craft.

An object of this invention is to control or regulate the effected pitch of propeller blades by hydraulic means.

Another object of this invention is to maintain a rotor in a housing detachably, furnish liquid 't'o'each side of a piston in the rotor selectively in order to adjust or regulate the effective pitch of the blades.

A further object of this invention is to selectivel-y'control the flow of fluid in the rotor by improved means, which means is associated with the rotor.

A further object of this invention is to detachably maintain a pump within the housing, which pump is driven in s'ynchronism with the speed of the rotor.

A still further object of this invention is to simplify controllable pitch propeller constructions sothat it may be effectively utilized in association with relatively inexpensive craft.

Ancillary objects and features of novelty will become apparent to those skilled in the art, and following the description of the preferred form of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of the preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of'the' slip ring device utilized in associated with the present invention; 1

FigureB is a sectional view taken substantially onthe line 3-3 of Figure 1 in the direction of the :5.

arrows;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows;

Figure'5 is a sectional schematic view of the selec't'or valve utilized in association with the invention;

Figure 6 is a second position of the selector valve;

- Figure '7 is a schematic view for the selector valve showing another position thereof; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 88 of Figure 1 and in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the preferred mounting of the pump. I

.Forease' of assembly and disassembly the controllable pitch propeller construction utilized in association with sea craft is deficient Expensive devices and methods of assembly must be resorted to" in order to provide an operative and practical 1 Claim. (Cl. 170'-=160.=2'3') controllable pitch propeller. It is one of the prime purposes of the present invention to supply a controllable pitch propeller which is easily assembled and disassembled both initially and for repair or cleansing purposes.

In operation of the invention the device must be m anipulatable' dextrously and easily in order to satisfy full requirements for a smoothly operative device. Therefore, stress has been placed on the ease of operation in subjecting the'inventive concept to an operative embodiment.

Numerous features of importance will become readily apparent in following the description of the preferred form of the invention, particularly illustrated in Figure 1. Here, a housing I0 is supplied with the usual bore 12 therein to accommodate the drive'shaft l 4 from a conventional inotor'.- The said drive shaft l4 may have a bevel gear-l6 thereon operatively engaging a comple mental-bevel gear l8.

It will be noted at this point that the housing i0 is somewhat conventional in nature, being usual in many types of propeller supporting structures. However, an aperture 2B is supplied in the housing It and a cover plate 22 is detachably c'on nected therewith through the medium of the screws 24. This cover plate lends access to the interior of the said housing H].

A rotor generally indicated at 26 is journalled in a suitable bore 28 formed in the said housing through the medium of conventional anti-friction" be'arings 30 and 32 respectively. Each antifriction bearing is composed of a pair of races having bearings therebetween, the outer race of which engages a shoulder 34 formed peripherally within the bore 28.

The rotor 26 include a cylindrical member 36 which has acollar 38 extending therearound and secured thereto by means of suitable screws 4!] or the like. This collar engages the inner race oflthe said bearing 30 and also, the inner race of the said bearing 32. The outer raceof this last mentioned bearin 32 is engaged by a detacha'ble collar 44' threadedly received in the terminal portion of the bore 28. Suitable, conventional packing or sealing means 46 may be suppliediin a recess 48 formed in the said collar 44, serving its usual conventional function.

By theaforementioned structure it is readily apparent that the rotor 25 is both detachably and rotatably' mounted in the bore 28'. A cover or hub 50' is threadedly received on one end of the said cylindrical member 35 and a partition 52 seals this end of the cylindrical member 36 from'communicationwith the hub 50".

54. The opposite end of the pitman is pivoted in a suitable bracket 64 which is in turn attached to a piston 66. Of course, the piston may have piston rings 58 thereon if found desirable. Each of the said blades 54 and 56 respectively have 7 identical linkage connections for simultaneous movement of the blades.

Fluid actuated means moves the piston axially within the bore of the cylindrical member 36 thereby urging the blades to the adjusted position. In order to rotate the blades 54 and 56 for producing a thrust applicable to a craft, the drive shaft I4 having the bevel gear I6 enmeshed with the said bevel gear I8 is utilized. The said bevel gear I8 may be attached directly to the said cylindrical portion 36 of the rotor 26 as is seen in Figure 1. Of course, it is within the purview of the present invention to supply separate gears and attach them to the various components by means of screws, pins or the like, if found expedient from a manufacturing view point;

A sleeve 10 is attached to the back portion of the cylindrical member 36 and has a gear I2 rigidly secured thereto. This gear may be at,- tached by means of the conventional screw I4 illustrated in Figure 2 or otherwise integrally associated therewith. This last mentioned gear I2 operatively engages a conventional bevel gear I6 which is in turn attached to a shaft I8 (see Figure 8) and the said shaft I8 is secured to gearing in a conventional gear pump supplied within the housing 80. Other types of pumps may be utilized in lieu of the gear type pump if found desirable.

The said pump 80 is mounted on a base 82 which is slidably received between the rails or tracks 84 and 86 respectively, which rails are rigidly attached to the interior surface of the housing I0. This of course renders the pump slidably mounted for ready attachment and detachment.

The fluid entering the rotor for selectively urging the piston 66 is activated by the said pump 80. Two conduits are supplied within the sleeve I0, the first conduit being numbered 88 and the sec-- ond conduit being numbered 90. The said conduit 90 extends through a suitable fitting 92 provided in the end wall of the rotor 26 'and terminates on the propeller side of the piston 66. A suitable bushing 84 may be supplied in the bore formed in the piston 66 to accommodate the tube or conduit 90. Of course, fluid applied through the conduit 90 urges the piston in. a selected direction.

The said conduit 88 terminates'in a suitable fitting 96 which is in the end wall of the rotor 26. Fluid urged from the conduit 88 will of course, urge the piston 66 in a direction oppositefrom the aforementioned direction.

Means for selectively applying a pressure head to fluid in these conduits 90 and B8 is provided. The preferable means may be seenas a selector valve generally indicated at I00 and a slip ring construction normally associated'therewith and journalled on the sleeve "I0.

The selector valve is provided with a core I02 within a suitable casing I04, which casing may be attached by any suitable means to a bracket I05 which is in turn secured to the pump and a slip ring mechanism I30. An arm I08 is attached to an offset link III], which link is in turn attached to the core I02. The said arm I08 may extend to a suitable indicating dial having selected indicia thereon for indicating various modes of operation and various conditions of operation of the invention. If it is found desirable a flexible cable construction or a gear-shaft type construction may be substituted in lieu of the arm.

Reference is now made to Figures 1, 5-? wherein the operation and function of the selector valve is set forth. There are three positions of operation of the valve I 00. The pump 80 has two lines or conduits H4 and H6 extending therefrom, the line I I6 being the pump outlet while the line I I4 is the pump inlet. The pump outlet line and return line extend to the selector valve I00 thence back to the pump. v

In association with the selector valve I00 is a pair of conduits H8 and I20 respectively which extend to the slip ring construction illustrated in Figure 2. The line I I8 is communicated with the conduit 88 while the line I20 is communicated with the conduit 90. Therefore, in various positions of operation of the selector valve I00, fluid may be selectively urged to either side of the piston 66.

In order to accomplish this result the core I02 is provided with a V-shaped channel I22 and also a through channel I24 communicating with the said V -shaped channel I22. In addition a chordal channel I26 is positioned adjacent the through channel I24. By this construction in one position of the core (see Figure 5) the channel I24 registers with'the pump outlet line and the return line thereby acting as a Icy-pass and permitting all of the fluid which is in the piston-cylinder construction to remain trapped therein. This of course keeps the'blades 54 and 56 in a locked position. v

'In a second operative position (see Figure 6) fluid is urged from the pump through the line or conduit I I8, through the slip ring construction thence to the conduit 88 whence it urges the piston 66 in a direction toward the blades. The V-shaped channel I22 then acts in communication with the return line tothe pump I I4 and the conduit I20 which exhausts fluid from the opposite side of the piston or the Side including the journalling of the blades. 6

In the final possible position of the selector valve I00 (see Figure '7) the v-shaped channels I22 communicate directly with the pump outlet I I6 to the conduit I20 which is in communication with the conduit 90. This of course urges fluid to the blade side of the piston for actuation thereof. The chordal channel I26 communicates directly with the conduit I I8 and the return line II 4. This drains fluid from the proper side of the piston back to the pump for recirculation.

From the aforementioned valve structure the means for rotating the blades 54 and 56 about their roots as an axis is set forth.

The specific structure of the slip ring mechanism is seen best in Figure 2 and will be described at this time. The said sleeve I0 has a collar I30 rotatably received thereon. The sleeve I0 is permitted to rotate freely relative to the collar I30 and suitable sealing washers or packing I32 is interposed between the collar I30 and the sleeve I0 at spaced intervals. A plug I34 may be threadedly attached to the sleeve 10 and the shoulder I36 of the said plug may limit the travel of the sleeve I30 relative to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve I0.

Mating grooves I38 are supplied in the collar I30 and sleeve and the conduit I is rigidly attached by means of a detachable threaded connector I40 to the relatively stationary collar I30. Fluid extending through the conduit I20 projects through a suitable bore formed in the collar I30, thence to the conduit 90 which has been described herein above.

Mating grooves I42 identical to those grooves I38 are supplied in the sleeve I0 and the collar I30 however, these grooves are spaced from the aforementioned grooves. The conduit H8 is attached to the collar I30 and fluid extends therethrough by means of a structure identical to that described in association with the conduit I20. By this means the fluid is permitted to flow to the proper side of the piston 60.

To remove unit from bore, the cover plate 22 may first be removed and the control arm I08 detached from the olfset pin I I0; the detachable collar 44 unscrewed and the complete unit, including selector valve I00 and pump 80, removed from the bore. The rest of the unit may be disassembled with ease as the unit is clear of the housing. The actual assembly of the invention is equally as simple since the converse operation is performed.

In view of the foregoing it is believed that a clear understanding of the preferred form of the invention is obvious. However, it is apparent that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, limitation is sought only in accordance with the scope of the following claim.

Having described the invention, what claimed as new is:

A controllable pitch propeller comprising a housing with a bore and having a rotor journaled therein, a collar fixed to said rotor, said bore opening outwardly of said housing and said rotor being inserted through the open end of said bore, detachable means for maintaining said rotor in said housing including a threaded member attached to said housing and disposed in the open end of said bore, a bearing disposed in said bore and engaging said threaded member and said collar, said collar being spaced from the inner wall of said bore, blades mounted for movement in said rotor, fluid actuated means for adjusting said blades including a piston disposed in said rotor with links connecting said piston and said blades, said links being arranged in said rotor, mechanical means for rotating said rotor, means for selectively directing fluid on each side of said piston to operate said piston, thereby adjusting said blades, a sleeve having apertures therein and forming a part of said rotor and extending from the rear end thereof, said fluid directing means including a slip ring having grooves and disposed on said sleeve, the apertures and the grooves being in communication, conduits extending from said apertures for directing fluid through said sleeve into said rotor, a selector valve with means connecting the outlet port of said selector valve with said grooves, a pump operatively connected with the inlet port of said selector valve, rails disposed in said housing, and means carried by said pump and disposed in said rails for detachably mounting said pump therein.

BEUFORD N. WILLIS. HENRY E. WILLIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,288,867 Fuller Dec. 24, 1918 1,510,436 Englesson Sept. 30, 1924 1,869,280 Roem'isch July 26, 1932 2,037,251 Mansson Apr. 14, 1936 2,188,313 Ruths et al. Jan. 30, 1940 2,258,094 Keller Oct. 7, 1941 2,271,149 Cesare Jan. 27, 1942 2,279,301 Colley et al. Apr. 14, 1942 2,423,191 Kopp July 1, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 553,929 Great Britain June 10, 1943 

